Profiles

Salon of the Year Runner-Up, Perfect 10 Nail Salon & Day Spa

Owner Gina Marsilii has turned her business from a simple nail salon into an inviting day spa with a warm and friendly atmosphere, offering clients a wide range of stress-relieving treatments like massage, tanning, and facials.

Gina is so concerned about her clients' well-being that she formed the Delaware Manicurists Alliance over concern that salons' use of MMA was growing.

Salon: Perfect Ten Nail Salon & Day Spa

Location: Wilmington, Del.

Owner: Gina Marsilii

Years in Business: 14

Specialties: Pink-and-whites

Why it stands out: Since 1987 Perfect 10 Nail Salon & Day Spa in Wilmington, Del., has evolved from a staff of one to a well-recognized salon that was voted Best Nail Salon in Delaware in 1998 and 2001. Owner Gina Marsilii has turned her business from a simple nail salon into an inviting day spa with a warm and friendly atmosphere, offering clients a wide range of stress-relieving treatments like massage, tanning, and facials. Even with all of these services, she still feels that establishing a good relationship with clients is what keeps them coming back.

“Our services are offered in an atmosphere of friendly elegance.” says Gina. “We are committed to excellence in all of our services while making a positive difference in the lives of those we serve.”

The salon supports local and national charities, notably hosting an in-salon event where money was raised for Rosie O’Donnell’s The For All Kids Foundation.

Gina encourages her staff to remain current with industry progress and change by offering paid education assistance. She has such a passion for the industry that she formed the Delaware Manicurists Alliance after being distressed that the Delaware State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering inspected salons only when there was a complaint and by her suspicion that salon’s use of MMA was growing. The Alliance lobbied a state representative to address the issue, and Gina’s address of the legislature resulted in 14 proposed bills, one of which was passed as a law banning the use of MMA by nail technicians.

Looking at the future, Gina dreams of opening a salon by the beach. “Right now,” she says, “I want to take what I’ve learned from the ups and downs of owning a business, and share that with new business owners to help them succeed.”